SEKRENYI
The Angamis celebrate Sekrenyi in the month of February, and it normally falls on the 25th day of the month of “Kezei.”The ten-day festival is also called Phousanyi by the Angamis.
The festival follows a circle of ritual and ceremony, the first being ‘KEZIE”. A few drops of rice water taken from the top of the jug called “ZUMHO” are put into leaves and placed at the three main posts of the house by the lady of the household. The first day begins with all young and old men going to the village well to bathe.
Early the next morning, all the young men goes to the well to wash themselves. The young men will adorn two new shawls and sprinkle water on their breast, knees and right arm to wash away all their ills and misfortunes by the purified well water. On their return from the well, a cock is sacrificed .Beginning from the fourth day, a three day session of singing and feasting starts where the young people of the village sit together and sing traditional songs throughout the day.
On the seventh day, the young men go for hunting. The most important ceremony falls on the eight day when the gate pulling is performed and inter-village visits are exchanged. Until the close of the festival, no one goes to the field and all field work ceases during this season of feasting and song.
NGADA
The Rengmas celebrate eight days of Ngada festival towards the end of November. This festival is celebrated just after harvest, as a mark of thanksgiving, merrymaking and rejoicing. This festival also marks the end of the agricultural year.
On the first day, rice beer is prepared by every household and banana leaves are collected for the Ngada feast on the second day. Graves of relatives are visited by the womenfolk and rice beer wrapped in banana leaves are offered at their graves as a symbolic presentation of offering to the departed soul on the third day. On the fourth day, all the male members gather at their-
respective khel morungs called ‘RENSI’ early in the morning with their own rice beer and meat and have their meal there. At mid-day, the men folk adorned in their ceremonial fineries go round the village with the women following them, carrying rice beer. The fifth day witnesses all the men folk going in procession, visiting all the houses and singing songs. On the sixth day, all members of the village visit each other’s houses, eat and drink and make merry. On the seventh day, all the villagers goes to the forest for collecting firewood, banana leaves and vegetables for the grand Ngada feast which is arranged on the eight day. The whole village population partake of the feast. On this day, three rites are performed.
One is the peace agreement with fire in order to avoid fire accident in the village. The second is the agreement with rats, so that they do not destroy the crops and the third rite is performed to expel evil spirits from the village. Thus, the eight day long Ngada festival of the Rengmas culminate.